Jay B, is currently touring the world with his “TAPE : PRESS PAUSE” world tour. On December 15th, he performed in Paris where he showed both his talent and his kind heart.
Jay B, the leader of GOT7, officially launched his solo career after he left JYP Entertainment in January 2021.
While the artist doesn’t hesitate to introduce himself as “Jay B from GOT7”, his concert doesn’t ride the wave of nostalgia. For about two hours, he sings his own solo songs and shows who he is as an artist.
Of course, the idol is still here, it shines through a well-thought stage outfit, aegyos thrown here and there, some of his choreographies…
But it’s his own personal colors that really make this concert stand out. A well-balanced mix of hip hop and R’n’B, with ballads and a few more energetic songs that flirt with funky rhythms.
He has no difficulty owning the stage and occupying the space, even when his two back dancers aren’t with him. For songs such as Hush, he stands in front of a mic, and his voice is enough to fill up the space and keep his audience captivated. With Fade Away, he moves on stage, making sur to give attention to each side of the venue. Fans let themselves get carried away by his smooth energy.
About half through the show, Jay B lets JOMALXNE take over the stage for a few songs. This lets Jay B change his outfit, and probably gives him a few minutes for a well-deserved short break. The “opening act”, who is also a good friend of Jay B’s, doesn’t break the vibe. He keeps everyone’s energy up until the moment Jay B returns and they share the stage for a while.
Their interaction shows a real friendship between the two artists. As a viewer, it’s nice to see that Jay B not only managed to organize the show around getting a break, but also that he’s sharing his first solo tour, probably an important moment to him, with a close friend.
The concert then goes on with energetic songs such as Break It Down or Fountain Of Youth.
During Holiday, a fan in front of the stage faints and Jay B quickly stops the track to make sure the fan is taken care of. He shows genuine concern and as the crowd moves to give everyone some space, Jay B goes backstage for a few moments. It seems he wanted to make sure there would be no pushing before coming back and performing Holiday again.
After that came the time for him to take a picture on stage. He smartly told fans that if they’re too close to the stage their face may not show, which everyone understood as his concern and wish to make sure fans won’t push.
With the song Right, fans had planned for a project to launch balloons, a project meant to recall an other project that fans in Paris had held during a GOT7 concert. While it’s hard to tell whether Jay B remembered or not, it made the artist smile as he grabbed a balloon and kept holding it during the performance.
During Rocking Chair though, a second fan fainted. He, again, stopped performing to check on the fan. The idol seems genuinely worried and shaken at the thought that his fans, who came to have fun, would feel unwell. His voice sounded somewhat strained as he asked fans to stay healthy. He resumed performing the show, looking emotional and having a hard time leaving the stage after the last track.
With this tour, Jay B not only successfully completes his transition to a solo artist. He also shows a more humane side of him. He, again and again, expressed his gratitude and his care towards the fans. He interacted with them, and handed out his own bottles of water so that fans would stay hydrated. In a more intimate venue than when performing as a group, the mutual love between the artist and the fans, strengthened by 10 years of being together, warmed up the winter night.